Masha Ioveva and Claudia Bernett are interaction designers. They wanted to “create a game-like experience, mixing digital and physical,” while uncovering interesting places in music history. Thus began their study of hip-hop in the Bronx.

BronxRhymes Uses Locality, Maps to Track History of Hip-Hop

The creators specifically set out to create a connection between the physical, digital and mobile planes. The website features a map of the Bronx and an archive of contributed rhymes. They then put up posters near the physical locations marked on the online map, describing the location’s relevance to hip-hip history in a rhyme. The posters also challenged passersby to respond via SMS with their own rhymes about the location, the people who made it famous, or hip-hop in general.

Published: February 4, 2009

Publication: Publication: PBS MediaShift, a blog that tracks how new media — from weblogs to podcasts to citizen journalism — are changing society and culture.

Skills: Writing, Interviewing

Medium: Text